A Slayer No More
by bionic4ever
Summary: Sla2: Buffy has retired from slaying vampires, and wants to join Steve and Jaime at the OSI. Can she handle it when lives are at stake?
1. Chapter 1

**A Slayer No More**

Dedicated to my daughter, with many thanks for her help with the various details of Buffy-ness.

(As with the previous cross-over, for storyline purposes I've taken the liberty of sending Buffy back in time, putting her squarely into Steve and Jaime's era.)

Chapter One

Peggy Callahan's smile never wavered, but inside she'd switched to guard-dog mode. "I'm sorry. You're...who?"

"Buffy Summers."

"You don't have an appointment. What is your business with Mr. Goldman?

"I'm trying to find Jaime Sommers."

"Oh - are you a relative?"

"No; different spelling. We worked together on a case last year." Buffy couldn't miss Callahan's raised eyebrow. She sighed. "Jaime gave me her phone number, but I've been trying to reach her for a week, and it's been disconnected."

Callahan wasn't about to volunteer information about Jaime - or anything else, for that matter - to a girl who appeared to be still in her teens. "That hardly appears to be Mr. Goldman's problem or concern, Miss...uh..._Buffy_."

"Look, this is really important."

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Goldman doesn't have time for this, _Buffy_." At the moment, he was reading his morning newspaper with no appointments pending for the day, but Peggy-the-guard-dog wasn't about to share that, either.

"First of all," Buffy said, growing annoyed, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't say my name like I was a little piece of cotton fluff. Second, I may never have met Mr. Goldman, but I'm sure he knows who I am. I helped Jaime and Steve solve the Vampire Killer case. Would you _please _tell him I'm here, and then he can decide whether or not to talk to me?"

Peggy realized that this extremely persistent little girl was not backing down. Reluctantly, she hit the intercom button.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Goldman, Buffy Summers is asking to see you. She doesn't have an appointment, and -"

"Buffy Summers? Oh - send her in, please."

"Yes, Sir."

Buffy smiled sweetly at the secretary, tossing a slightly impertinent "thank you" over her shoulder as she headed for the inner office.

Oscar rose to greet her, motioning to a chair. "Please - sit down. Can I get you some coffee? A soda?"

"No, thank you."

"So you're Buffy Summers," Oscar said in a friendly voice. She looked - outwardly - much younger than he'd imagined, but she carried herself with a maturity that was exceptionally rare for her age. "Steve and Jaime had a lot of great things to say about you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Thank you, Sir. It's an honor to meet you, and I'm really sorry I didn't make an appointment."

"Don't give it another thought. We'd have never stopped the Vampire Killer without your help. Now, what can I do for you?"

Buffy smiled and began to relax. "I've been trying to reach Jaime, but her phone's been disconnected."

"Oh?" Oscar thought for a moment, then understood. "That's right; Jaime gave you that number over a year ago. She and Steve got married last summer, so they've got a new number now."

"They did? That's great!" Buffy enthused. "I kinda had a feeling..."

"Well, Young Lady, as it turns out, your instinct _and_ your luck are both excellent. Jaime happens to be in the building right now." He picked up the inter-office phone and dialed Rudy's extension. "Rudy? Good morning! How's Jaime's physical looking? Wonderful! Listen, when she's done changing, could you send her up to my office? Thank you." Oscar hung up and returned Buffy's smile with one of his own. "She'll be up in a few minutes."

------

Twenty minutes later, Jaime and Buffy were happily catching up over coffee, in a quiet corner booth at the diner down the street. Buffy wanted to hear every detail about the wedding and married life, and Jaime was getting more and more curious as to what was remaining unsaid.

"So," she finally ventured, "why are you _really_ here? 'Cause I know you didn't come all the way across the country just to catch up."

"You're right; I didn't," Buffy said quietly. "Jaime, I quit slaying."

"I didn't think they allowed that."

"Well, they don't, exactly. But there's another Slayer now, so I didn't leave them unprotected..."

"But...I thought there was only one Slayer?"

"Yeah...but I died."

"You don't look dead."

"Long story," Buffy said with a shrug.

"Angel didn't vamp you, did he?"

"_Sire_," Buffy corrected. "No, nothing like that."

"So what does a retired Slayer do with her time?"

Buffy hesitated. Did she dare...? She did. "That's why I'm here, what I wanted to talk to you about. I wanna do what you and Steve do. I wanna become an operative." When Jaime didn't answer right away, Buffy kept talking. "I know I'd be good at it, Jaime, and physically, you know what I can do..."

Jaime smiled reassuringly. Buffy was practically just a kid, but this kid _was **good**_ - really good. They'd never have caught the Vampire Killer without her help. She was intelligent _and_ street-smart, and physically, she seemed just a step below bionics in her abilities. But...

"Buffy, if it were up to me, I'd love to have you. But operatives have to be at least 21, and usually Oscar won't take them 'til they're 25." And yet, Jaime knew that she'd love to work with Buffy as a partner; she'd have absolutely no worries about the young girl's ability to watch her back. Jaime thought for a few seconds. "You know, maybe some rules can be bent, just a little. I can't promise you anything, but...I'll talk to Oscar."

------


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"It is absolutely out of the question, Jaime, and you know that as well as I do!" Oscar proclaimed, pacing across his office.

"Why?"

"No reason...aside from the fact that she's eighteen years old."

"Nineteen in two weeks."

"Which still leaves her shy at least two years - _at least_!" he argued.

"Oscar, you could get them to make an exception -"

"**_No_**, Jaime."

"This girl is smart as a whip. She's got connections and more street-smarts than most of the people you've got working for you now." Jaime quick-stepped to stand in front of Oscar, stopping him from pacing and forcing him to look directly at her. "And physically...Oscar, physically, she can keep up with Steve and me! If you didn't know better, you'd swear she was bionic! Tell me that wouldn't be useful."

"Jaime -"

"Can't you at least give her a shot? Let me work with her. One case, and -"

"Jaime -"

"The NSB would take her in a heartbeat..." Jaime taunted. "But you'd be missing out on a real find. Just give her a try - please? She could be another 'me' for you."

"Which is precisely what I'm worried about."

"Please?"

"Tell you what; we'll have her take the aptitude tests, I'll check out her background and Rudy can give her a physical. Then - we'll see."

Jaime gave her boss an exuberant hug. "Thank you!"

"_We'll see..._"

------

Steve smiled as he shook his head. "Sweetheart, are you sure you know what you're doing?" he asked his wife. "Buffy's just a kid..."

"She's a kid who just scored a 96 on her aptitude test. What did you get when _you _took it?"

Steve chose to ignore that question. "So she'd be good at it...in five or six years."

Jaime sighed. "You worked with her; you know what she can do. Please tell me you'll at least have an open mind?"

"Sweetheart, I love you, and I trust your judgement. That's probably all I should say for now."

------

The next morning, Jaime was in a state of nervous excitement and Steve and Oscar were dubious as they all sat in Oscar's office, waiting for Buffy and Rudy to join them.

"This is a serious assignment, Jaime," Oscar told her, "life or death -"

"Aren't they all?"

"Are you sure you feel comfortable -"

"**_Yes_**!"

Steve frowned. "_Whose_ life or death?"

"Both of you," Oscar said quietly.

Steve had plenty more questions, but the office door opened and Buffy bounced jubilantly in, followed by a grinning Rudy.

"Are you sure she's not..." he realized he couldn't use the word, since Buffy didn't have the clearance yet, "...like the two of you?"

Jaime smiled triumphantly, saying nothing.

Oscar stood and extended a hand to Buffy. "Ok, Young Lady - we'll give this a try and see how it goes. Welcome."

"Thank you," Buffy said, suddenly uncharacteristically shy.

Rudy slipped quietly out of the room as the rest of the group got down to business.

"I'd intended to give you a throwaway mission - busy work, so to speak - for you to get your feet wet, Buffy," Oscar said, speaking to the entire group of three. "Something urgent has come up, though, and if you feel it might be too much, I'll expect you to tell me, and we'll find something else for you to do."

"She'll be fine," Jaime interjected.

"You know that New Destiny's been after the two of you for quite some time. This morning, it was brought to my attention that they're no longer interested in capturing you and...everything that would entail.," Oscar began, carefully tip-toeing around the fact that New Destiny had hoped to get their hands on the rudiments of bionics. "They've been looking for a hit man, and although our intel people were able to thwart those efforts twice, they're apparently still at it - determined to see you both dead."

Buffy's eyes grew wide as she listened intently. Oscar continued his explanation. "Steve, given your exceptionally strong eyesight, _you_ will be the hit man they're looking for."

"You want me to be the one to carry out a contract on myself?" Steve asked.

"No. On Jaime."

"I can't wait to hear the rest of this..." Steve said softly.

"Buffy, since no one would _ever_ peg you as OSI," Oscar told her, "you'll be the go-between. You'll hover on the fringes of the group, not joining them, of course, but close enough that when the subject comes up - and it will - you will be able to suggest the perfect man for the job."

"Ok," Buffy replied, already formulating half a dozen plans in her mind.

Steve shook his head. "Oscar, tell me you're not asking me to aim a gun and take a shot at my wife..."

"Actually, Pal, you're going to do more than that; you're going to kill her."

------


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Question?" Buffy asked. "New Destiny - they're criminals, right? So why would they have to hire an assassin? Wouldn't they...um...use someone from within?"

"That's a very good question," Oscar told her. "And yes, normally they'd have a whole team to handle that, but Jaime and Steve have already put most of their associates behind bars."

"Which is why they're out for revenge," Buffy deduced.

"Right."

"What do they do, exactly?"

"They front as a medical research team," Jaime answered, "but the only thing they research is government secrets, any way they can get their hands on them. Then they sell them to the highest bidder."

Buffy looked up at Oscar again. "And they wanted Jaime and Steve for all the stuff they know - for the secrets in their heads." She didn't notice husband and wife exchanging a glance, as if to say _That's enough of an explanation for now._

Oscar smiled broadly. "I like you, Buffy. You're a quick thinker. And yes, you're right." He looked over at 'his' bionic duo. "Steve, you'll need to see the handlers, to change your appearance enough that they won't recognize you. And to answer your unspoken question, yes - you'll be firing a real gun, with real bullets, because of course they'll want to check that. We'll put Jaime in one of our strongest bullet-proof vests, and we'll fake her death. By the time they figure it all out, we'll have every last one of them in custody: case closed, for good."

------

Jaime and Buffy sat by the Tranquility Fountain, going over details, until they saw Steve leave the building. Even his own wife barely recognized him. His skin was darker and his hair - shorter now - was nearly white. They watched him go, then Buffy closed the photo file she'd been studying. She fingered they keys to the little blue sports car she'd been issued from the motor pool.

"I'm ready," she told Jaime. "Time to rock." She, too, was soon gone, and Jaime headed back into the building to talk to Oscar.

------

The bright blue sports car screeched to a fancy, skidding stop just outside the heavy, chain link fence that surrounded New Destiny's current (scaled down) compound. Buffy could feel the guards eyeing her as she stepped v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y from the car, one bare leg at a time. Clad in denim shorts, a tank top and an air of supreme confidence, she approached the front gate. Two _good ol' boys_, newly imported from Texas, strolled out to meet her.

"Well, hel-lo there, Missy," the older one drawled. "Just who might you be?"

"Why, I'm Caitlyn, of course, Roger," Buffy said in her own version of a soft, Southern accent. Roger and his co-hort had no name tags to identify them, but Buffy had done her homework well. She turned to the younger man, in his late 20's, not too bad on the eyes, and smiled her brightest smile. "Bobby, honey, didn't Susanna tell ya I was comin'?" she asked, naming the man's younger sister.

"Haven't talked to Susy in weeks," Bobby twanged. "I'm sure I'd remember mention of a pretty li'l thang like you." He wanted to do his job, but he _really **wanted **_Caitlyn.

"She thought we just might get along like corn dogs and catsup, so she sent me to meet y'all."

Bobby reached up to open the gate, but Roger grabbed his arm. "Call your sister first, just to be sure."

------

"So, what'd you think?" Jaime asked, sinking into a chair.

"Of Buffy?"

Jaime rolled her eyes. "No, Oscar - of our new trade agreement with the Soviets."

"Well, I always liked the old one better," Oscar retorted, grinning at her. "And I think Buffy will be just fine. By the way, Young Lady - most people would even think of talking to me like that."

"And when have I ever been like 'most people'?"

"Got me there, I suppose. You went over New Destiny's details with her, right?"

"Yup. She won't need a lot of training. Most of the early stuff you taught me, about stealth, surveillance - stuff like that - she already knows from her...previous employment."

"_Vampires_," Oscar noted, with just a touch of irony. "Not such a big jump, I guess, from that to criminals."

"I think someone has already tried to tell you that..."

"Just remember, Jaime - until she's been fully hired, Buffy has a level five security clearance, so -"

"No bionics; I know. She already saw me use them, that night in the graveyard, though, a couple of times. I think Steve may have intimidated her, though; she never said a word about it, then or now."

That worried Oscar. "She's...easily intimidated, then?"

"Oh no - not at all."

"Good. Because you know how bad New Destiny can get."

"Still see it in some of my worst nightmares."

"We've gone ahead and covered some basics for her. The guard she'll be going after has a sister - Susanna - who's one of the reasons we know what we know. She didn't like the sound of what her brother might be getting into, so she contacted the FBI, who contacted us. While she won't lie directly to her brother and won't go in wearing a wire, she did agree to take a bit of an extended vacation, so if the brother decides to call her to try and confirm Buffy's cover, he'll get no answer. Hopefully, she and Steve can get the job done before he tries to check further than that."

"What, exactly, do you want me to do?" Jaime asked.

"When we're done here, you'll go down to see the handlers. They'll set up several different 'dead' pictures we can use, depending on the angle Steve takes his shot from."

"Joy. Can I have a copy to frame?"

------


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Steve had only been gone a few hours, but Jaime missed him already. She knew she'd miss him even more when she tried to go to sleep without him by her side. Taking pictures of herself as a corpse had been a most unpleasant experience, though, and she doubted she'd be sleeping much anyway.

She'd been instructed to go about her activities as she normally would. _Ha - define 'normal' when you have to wear a bullet-proof vest,_ she thought to herself. Jaime hated those things! They were bulky, uncomfortable and made her feel very nervous, as though she were wearing an open invitation for someone to shoot her in the head, since that portion of her body remained unprotected. She figured she'd put it on sometime the following evening - that was probably still a little early, since Buffy had to ingratiate herself first and then somehow get Steve 'hired', but better safe than dead. Tomorrow night would be more than enough time...

------

Bobby had gotten no answer when he'd tried to call his sister, but Caitlyn was just too tempting for him to pass up. Besides, if Susy really had sent her, Bobby didn't want to face his sister's wrath by sending her away. Less than an half an hour after she'd arrived at the compound, Buffy was inside the gate, having coffee in the guard shack while she waited for her moment.

The moment that came was much sooner than expected, and not the one they'd planned for, but she saw a chance and dove at it. Within the time it took for them each to finish a second cup of coffee, Bobby was firmly and inescapably wrapped around Caitlyn's little finger, ready to buck every bit of protocol and break all the rules as he offered to give her a guided tour of the compound.

"Ya know," Buffy ventured when they were nearly finished, "Susy said y'all were into researchin' medical-type stuff, but I didn't see anybody reading or looking up anythin'..."

"Well, maybe they're taking a break," Bobby hedged.

"My friend's brother - he makes his money shootin' people who don't belong on the planet - he said I should watch myself if I was comin' here, that y'all were into some mighty rough dealin's. You seem ok to me, though." Buffy could literally see the light going on in Bobby's head, but he wasn't quite hooked yet, and said nothing.

Buffy snaked an arm around his waist, and then her other arm, as well, looking right into his eyes. "Don't seem the least bit dangerous to me."

"That a fact?" Bobby smiled back at her and leaned in for a quick kiss.

_For Jaime and Steve_, she reminded herself, choking down her revulsion and kissing him back, _but he goes **no further**_!

"So how could a pretty li'l thing like you know anybody connected to a hit man?" Bobby inquired.

"Oh - Cliffie's not a hit man. He only kills people who _really_ deserve it. Sure makes bunches of money doin' it, though..."

So it happened that, before midnight on her first day as an operative, Buffy had accomplished her goal, and 'Cliff' came into possession of a contract to kill Steve Austin and his wife.

------

New Destiny had stipulated that they expected immediate results, and had dropped 'Cliff' off outside of his own house before the sun came up the next morning. Steve wasn't surprised when they'd insisted on sending one of their own to accompany him. Together, the two men waited, hidden in the trees that lined the front driveway.

"My understanding is that these two are sort of joined at the hip," his new shadow told him. "Hopefully, they'll come out of the house together. That way, you can just open fire and be done with it. But if you can only get one for now, that's ok, too. Well get the other one at the hospital. Or the funeral."

Steve knew that Jaime would be out to get the newspaper within the next hour. Everything was ready. He wished he could whisper a warning, but with her vest, he knew she'd be ok. When Jaime stepped onto the porch, he raised the rifle to his shoulder, aimed extremely carefully at her mid-section and took his shot. Jaime had turned at the very last second, and her side was to Steve. She faked shock and horror very appropriately as she sank slowly to the ground. _Damn, that fake blood looks awfully real,_ Steve thought to himself as he turned to hightail it out of there. He was alarmed to see the New Destiny crony heading toward Jaime, instead.

"We gotta get out of here," Steve urged. "Her husband's probably already called the cops."

"Yeah, I know; just wanna make sure she's dead." The man knelt down, checked Jaime for a pulse and then joined Steve on a fast sprint back to the car. Steve looked at him questioningly, and the man nodded in confirmation. "Dead as a doornail in the arctic winter."

------


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Jaime felt the tell-tale burning pain - it seemed to go right through her - at the same instant she heard the shot. If she'd been standing still, it would've merely grazed her side with little damage done, but her half-spin at exactly the wrong moment sent the bullet careening into flesh. _What the hell? _was all she had time to think; she was unconscious before she hit the ground. She hadn't been alert enough to listen for Steve's approach since - in her mind - it was far too soon for anything to be happening. She'd planned to don the bullet-proof vest around dinnertime, but even then she wasn't expecting the attack until at least the morning of the second day. Now it was too late. She'd been hit and there was no one around to help her.

At the very last minute, as they were fleeing the scene, Steve remembered the required picture. He pulled the camera from his belt, turned around and snapped a few fake shots. He struggled against the overwhelming urge to run to Jaime's side, sweep her up in his arms and carry her to safety. Doing that would only get both of them killed.

------

When they returned to the compound, he gave the film to 'Caitlyn', who 'just happened to have a li'l old dark room' in her friend's basement. She was sent off to develop the photos.

For a reason he couldn't pinpoint, Steve was unable to shake the horrible, gut-wrenching fear that something was _really _wrong. He hadn't been expecting to be jumping for joy after firing a real, loaded gun at his wife, and she'd been given the ultimate protection available, so **_why_** was he so damned worried?

------

Buffy had the needed pictures already in her car, but she still had a couple of hours to fill. After shaking off her New Destiny tail (by driving the little sports car in a way he couldn't possibly duplicate), she found a phone booth and pulled over to call in a progress report. From what she'd been told about Oscar, she wasn't surprised that he was already in his office at 7:30am. She didn't realize he'd spent the night there.

Oscar was impressed - Buffy had carried out her assigned tasks superbly - but he was also deeply alarmed. If the 'hit' had been carried out, he should've heard from Jaime long before Buffy's call. Had something gone wrong? Had Steve aimed too high?

"What did Steve say when he came back?" he asked Buffy, taking care to keep his voice even and calm.

"They didn't give us a chance to talk."

"How did he look?"

"Sorta green," Buffy replied. "Is...something wrong?"

"I don't know." Oscar realized that to continue working the case effectively, Buffy needed the facts - all of them. "I'd expected to hear from Jaime right away, before you or Steve checked in -"

"She hasn't called?" Now Buffy, too, felt the cold stab of fear in the pit of her stomach.

"No. But if she was wearing her vest - and she _better_ have been - I'm sure she's fine. Could be a problem with her phone. She can't leave to call from anywhere else; she has to stay completely out of sight now, until it's all over."

"I'm going over there," Buffy said quickly.

"I don't think -"

"I'll sneak in from the back. No one'll see me."

"Buffy -"

"I'll call as soon as I know more," she promised, hanging up.

_Damn,_ Oscar thought. _Steve was right. This one's just as independent, and stubborn, as Jaime!_

_------_

Buffy was truly frightened as she moved swiftly and silently through the woods behind Steve and Jaime's house. It wasn't fear for her own safety, though. She was scared to death for her friends.

The rear screen door was unlocked and the solid door behind it was wide open. Buffy held her breath as she let herself in. The first thing she saw was Jaime's vest, draped over a kitchen chair. No nicks, holes, slashes or defects were visible anywhere on the garment. This was not a good sign.

"Jaime...?" Buffy called out softly, but there was no answer. She quickly ascertained that the house was deserted. When she saw the red splatters in the living room, she knew instantly that they hadn't come from any fake dye packets. Buffy had spent nearly four years among vampires and their prey. She knew blood when she saw it.

It was on the front door, just a little bit on the outside but a bigger splash on the inside, as though Jaime had made it through the door and closed it, but leaned (or fell) onto it for support. The cradle half of the telephone still sat on the little table beside the sofa, but Buffy had to follow the cord to find the receiver. It had gone under the table, out the other side and a short distance down the hall, in a position where it had obviously not been dropped or set down. It had been thrown there and, like the door and the sofa, there was blood on the receiver.

Buffy left the receiver where it was and placed a coaster sideways on the phone cradle to close the circuit, then used the phone in the kitchen to call Oscar.

She spilled all of it quickly, in a single breath, as soon as he picked up the phone. "Mister Goldman, _she wasn't wearing the vest_ and there's blood - not pools of it, but too much - on the porch, the door, the couch and the telephone, and Jaime isn't here; I looked everywhere." Finally, Buffy stopped talking and took a long, shuddering breath.

Oscar took a deep breath of his own, to steady himself. "Buffy, I do **not** want you to go back to the compound. Come to my office immediately. I'll send an extraction team in for Steve...and for Jaime, if she's there and still alive."

------


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Steve was pacing restlessly. "I need to go after the husband now," he growled as 'Cliff'. "If we wait much longer, he'll be too alert. I should be striking now, while he's still in shock over his dear, departed wife."

"When it's time, you'll go," one of the cronies who'd been milling about the office said in reply.

"_It's **past** time! When you hire a professional, you should let him do his job, Dammit! Let me finish my job!"_

The boss who had originally 'hired' him strode into the office with a smug grin on his face. "That's exactly our intention," he told 'Cliff'. "Follow me, please, and bring your weapon."

"Look," Steve argued, following the man out of the office, "I'm perfectly capable of offing one grieving husband, all by myself. I don't need a baby-sitter to slow me down."

"Maybe so," the leader said, "but that's not where we're going." Three newly-hired, armed enforcers filled the hallway behind them. "I expect you to finish the first job first."

_Uh-oh._ The man headed down a long hallway, and Steve had no choice but to follow. They stopped in front of a small, dingy barred cell at the very end of the hall. Inside the cell, lying on the concrete floor, bloodied and unconscious, was **_Jaime_**.

The leader looked expectantly at his hit man. "You got her, but not good enough. This time we made it easy for you. Go ahead - finish her off."

Steve's mind raced through every possibility in less than a second, and none of them were acceptable. That second of hesitation was all the boss had needed to see.

"That's what I thought..._Colonel_."

Steve tried to keep the ruse going. "Excuse me?"

"When Frank said you only took one shot, instead of emptying the gun at her, I wondered -"

"One shot is all I usually need. More would be too risky, draw too much attention," Steve insisted.

"Don't even bother. I know who you are. You just confirmed it; a professional would've shot before I'd even told him to do it." He looked toward his new helpers. "Put him in the cell with his wife. We'll take care of them later, after she's awake. I have some very special plans for Mrs. Austin, and I want her husband to hear her scream."

------

Buffy knew Oscar would most likely fire her for insubordination, but she completely disregarded his order, made one quick stop and headed back toward New Destiny's compound. She would be going in as herself this time; 'Caitlyn' was useless to her now. Buffy intended to do whatever might be necessary to save her friends.

------

Steve sat on the concrete next to his wife's pale, unmoving form. He flinched at the sight of the bullet wound _he'd _inflicted. _Jaime, why weren't you wearing your vest?_ It wasn't as bad as it could've been, hitting her in the lower left quadrant of her abdomen, but it was bad enough to flood his soul with guilt. She began to move, just slightly, and he thanked whatever luck they had remaining for the fact that New Destiny was still too short-handed (or short-sighted) to have posted a guard outside the cell. He took Jaime's left hand and leaned down close to her face.

"Jaime, if you can hear me, don't open your eyes. Squeeze my hand, Sweetheart." He waited a few seconds. Her eyelids fluttered but stayed closed, and Steve felt a weak but very welcome squeeze from her hand. "Ok, good," he said soothingly. "We're ok - for now - if they don't think you're awake. You need to stay unconscious until I can figure a way out of here, ok?" Another squeeze. "I love you," he whispered, gently kissing her forehead. Then one more thought occurred to him. "Jaime, if you hear anything you think I should be alert for, roll over and kick me, and...if you hear Buffy coming back, swing an arm out and hit me. Ok?"

Jaime frowned, puzzled and frightened, then returned her face to its relaxed, 'unconscious' state and softly squeezed Steve's hand.

------

Buffy knew she didn't have much time. She moved with quiet urgency to the back of the compound and jumped the fence. She'd been issued a gun at the beginning of the mission, but she'd left that in the car, unsure of her ability to use it. Her one quick stop had been to pick up a weapon she was much more proficient with, and it was the reason she now remained in the shadows and dark corners of the complex as she formulated a final plan. In her hands, Buffy carried a very large, deadly-sharp **_sword_**.

------


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Oscar was fuming. Russ watched his face go from ghost-pale (worry mode) to red (anger), and all the way to purple (_outta the way; he's gonna blow). _Concerned for his boss and anyone else in the vicinity, Russ lit a cigar and handed it to him.

"Am I invisible, Russ?" Oscar asked as he exhaled a deep lung-full of smoke. Russ stayed silent, letting him vent. "Has my voice changed to a frequency no one else can hear? Or has it become the latest government fad to ignore Oscar and do whatever the hell you please?" He slammed a fist down on the desktop, making Russ (who was unusually adept at dealing with Oscar's anger) jump.

"Buffy, I can almost understand," Oscar continued. "She's new, and maybe a little too enthusiastic. But Jaime..._Jaime_ _knows better_! Once they fitted her with that damn vest, it should **never** - not for one second - have been off her body! Now she's gotten herself hurt...or worse." Oscar took another deep drag from the cigar. "Russ, I had three people working an assignment together, and right now I don't know where any of them are! _What's wrong with this picture_?" Oscar asked rhetorically and very bitterly.

Jack Hansen came rushing into the office. "The extraction team's in place outside the compound. Six men, ready to go in whenever you say the -"

"Send them in," Oscar said grimly. "Now."

------

Buffy had chosen a back door in one of the larger buildings as the one she'd kick in, and was about to make her move. Several small explosions in rapid succession at the rear fence (directly behind her) caused her to change her mind and duck for cover. She crouched low, her sword at the ready and her every nerve on full alert.

A man with a gun was approaching in front of her and, as she jumped up to take him on, another came from behind and karate-chopped her arm, causing her to drop the sword. Before she could react, he had grabbed her tightly by both arms.

"Who might you be, Missy?" the one in front demanded. Buffy merely glared, kicking at the shins of the one behind her as he forced her wrists into handcuffs. "Never mind; doesn't matter who you are," he said. "We're with the National Security Bureau, and you're in Federal custody. Let's go."

The two men led/dragged Buffy through the hole their explosives had made in the fence and put her into the back of one of the cars.

"Wait!" she insisted, before he could close the door. "I'm OSI and I need to get in there!"

"Right, Missy - the OSI always equips its agents with swords."

"Call Oscar Goldman!" she demanded, too late. He'd already slammed the door, locking her in the car, and was already gone, back into the compound. Buffy ducked low, toward the floor of the backseat, breaking her handcuffs against a bar at the bottom of the door jamb.

The deafening sound of multiple guns all firing at once froze her in place as the cuffs fell away. Instinct told her to stay low and out of sight. It was coming from _inside_ the buildings, and not from the NSB extraction team outside. It seemed to go on forever. The silence, when it finally came, was startling. Buffy stayed down until it was clear that the gun battle was over, then a peek out the window confirmed what she'd already suspected: all six members of the extraction team were down - permanently.

------

Steve heard the barrage of gunfire and the ensuing chaos without needing Jaime's kick to alert him, which was fortunate, since the kick never came. Sadly - alarmingly - feigned unconsciousness was no longer necessary. Jaime was completely out.

The battle outside would've been an ideal distraction to allow them to escape, But Steve was _not _about to leave his wife behind in the cell. Either they would leave together, or Steve intended to stay with Jaime to face whatever was about to happen. Very softly, he touched her face and gently jostled her shoulder in an attempt to rouse her.

"Sweetheart? I know I told you to stay asleep, but I really need you to be awake right now..." There was no response. "Jaime?...Please?" Silence. "Oh God - what've I done to you?" He didn't know if her injury was life-threatening or not, but he began to scramble for a plan to keep her safe **and** get them both out.

Then, it came to him. He knew what to do! Being very careful not to hit Jaime with debris, Steve punched a small hole in the rear wall of the cell. As he'd suspected, it was an outside wall and as he'd hoped, the tiny outbuilding was very nearby. He widened the hole slightly, saw the fallen men and recognized them as NSB. Steve realized Oscar had sent an extraction team and New Destiny's ranks had grown enough to bring them down. The situation was dire.

Shielding Jaime with his body as much as possible, he kicked a much larger hole in the wall, picked up his wife, carried her to the tiny outbuilding and forced the door open.

Inside, along two walls, there were lab coats and surgical scrubs from when they still made the effort to emulate a medical research team. The garments were hung on two rows of horizontal rods, with the lower garments brushing the floor. Steve pulled several items from the upper rod and spread them on the floor, right next to the wall. He settled Jaime on the 'bed' that he'd created for her, kissed her once more and maneuvered the bottom row of clothing so she was completely hidden from view. As soon as he'd locked up or taken down enough New Destiny members to allow them to make a clean, safe escape, he would return for her. If she woke up in the meantime, Steve hoped she'd see her unusual location as a message to _stay put._

_------_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Buffy weighed her options carefully before getting out of the car. The NSB agents still held guns in their hands that were of no use to them anymore. Buffy could easily grab one, but she wasn't entirely sure she could point it at another human being and pull the trigger. She could try to find her sword, but that would take time she was fairly certain she didn't have. Buffy knew she'd have to rely solely on her wits, strength and agility and hope it was enough.

------

Oscar was chain-smoking cigars, lighting a new one from the stub of the one he'd just finished. He hadn't felt this edgy since the day he'd watched helplessly while Steve crashed the Daedelus. He felt just as helpless now, but was trying to maintain firm control on the reins of command.

While Oscar and Jack Hansen were waiting to hear from the extraction team, Russ slipped out and summoned Rudy, who did _not_ like what he was seeing.

"Oscar, you're not a finalist in the world cigar-smoking marathon," Rudy pointed out. "Your blood pressure..."

"My blood pressure will go straight through the roof of this building if I _don't_ smoke. Rudy, there's a black hole out there, swallowing up anyone I try to put on this case. I've got three missing operatives - **_three_** - and now, I have no idea what's going on with an entire extraction team. _Nine people _who just...dropped off the planet." Oscar lit another cigar. "**I'm** going in after them."

"**_NO!_**" Rudy and Jack chorused.

Rudy shook his head. "I'll sedate you if I have to, but you are _not_ going in there."

"Besides," Jack added, "you can do a lot more from here."

"A lot of what?" Oscar asked bitterly. "A lot of missing people, yes. Definitely not a lot of good."

------

Steve didn't share Buffy's compulsion to avoid guns at all costs, so he gathered the weapons from all six fallen operatives, stashed five of them out of sight and stuck the remaining gun in his belt.

The first thing he noticed was the guard shack, which at that moment housed not only two guards but also the three men who'd strong-armed him into the cell. Staying low and out of sight, Steve moved a large, semi-decorative boulder from the entrance of the main building to a spot directly in front of the guard shack, blocking the door. The boulder and the leaded window glass would keep them out of his hair for a good long time.

"How'd you do that?" a voice asked from the shadows.

"_Buffy_?"

She stepped out of her hiding place to join him. "I mean, I can do that, but I'm a Slayer. How did you -?"

Steve shrugged. "Must've been adrenaline." He turned to look at her face-to-face. "What the hell is that?" he puzzled. Buffy carried a long, oddly-shaped piece of metal in her hands, held out like a weapon.

"Car bumper."

"Ok, then."

"The NSB took my sword," she told him.

"Your - _sword_?"

"Yeah." Buffy's voice dropped a few notches. "Steve, I went over to your house, and Jaime was gone -"

"She's here. They found her before we did. And...when I shot at her, she wasn't wearing her vest."

"How bad is she?" Buffy asked. "Did you see her?"

"We spent some quality time in a cell together."

"How...how bad was she hurt?"

"I'm not sure, but she was drifting in and out. She needs a doctor - _ten hours ago_."

"Where is she now?" Buffy asked.

"I hid her in a supply room, under a bunch of medical clothes that they obviously won't be needing anymore. They won't think to look for her there. I hope."

"How many more of them are there?"

"No idea. But you know the ones in the guard shack are gonna call their buddies for help, so how 'bout you & I grab Jaime and just **run**? Are you up to it?"

"Let's do it now, while they're still preoccupied," Buffy affirmed.

"I've got an idea..." Steve mused. "How good are you at wielding a car bumper?"

Buffy smiled. "How good do you need me to be? You want me to stand guard outside that supply building while you get Jaime?"

"No; we're better off sticking together. If we get separated again, I have a feeling at least one of us won't make it out. When we go back outside - with Jaime - if anyone is there to stop us, I'll jump over them -"

"_While you're holding her_?"

"Yeah. Then I'll start attacking from behind while you swing that thing in front of them for all you're worth."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Buffy, you do know there's a possibility we could be shot at..."

"I know," she said quietly. "I used to live with the possibility of being sucked dry by a vamp. This isn't that much worse. C'mon - let's go get Jaime."

Together, with a solid plan between them, Buffy and Steve headed for the supply building. "**_No..._**" Steve whispered when he opened the door. The garments had all been pushed aside. Jaime was gone. A small piece of paper was taped to the lower rod:

_**Too bad. We got here first.**_

------


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"Buffy," Steve said in a brusque, angry voice that he fought to keep even, for her benefit, "I need you to go back to the cars, break into the front of one - any of them - get on the radio and let Oscar know what's happened. Tell him to send a Medivac for Jaime and a meat wagon for whatever pieces of New Destiny are left when I'm finished with them. Hurry!"

Steve - out in the open and completely visible - strode over to the guard shack and crushed the boulder that blocked the door with one furious kick. He grabbed the first person he saw and used him as a battering ram to take down the other four before anyone could fire off a single shot. He pinned the man to the wall, slamming him back and forth like a rag doll as he made his demands.

"Where's your boss?" _Slam._ "And **_where is my wife_**?" _Slam._

"I...I don't know."

_Slam._ "Wrong answer. Try again." _Slam._ One of the men on the ground began to stir, and Steve swung his leg to the side and sent a chair careening at him like a guided missile. He gave his captive a slight toss, catching him by the throat.

"Can't...breathe...," the man gasped.

"So sorry about that." _SLAM!_ "**_Where is she_**?"

"Van...they're...in the...van."

"_What van_?" Steve demanded.

Outside the shack, gravel spitting in every direction and the continuous blaring of a horn were Steve's answer. One man's arm rose toward the gate-release button, and Steve tossed his 'rag doll' in that direction, knocking the arm away before the button was pressed. No one else dared to try.

Steve dove from the doorway onto the hood of the moving van, gripping the side mirror with his left hand and punching through the windshield with his right. The driver slammed on the brakes, but Steve held on with vice-like determination and propelled himself into the front seat, landing almost in the startled driver's lap. In one fluid motion, he kicked open the driver's door and shoved him out onto the gravel.

"If you're smart, you'll stay down," Steve called to him as he shut off the engine. He heard the sound of metal being wrenched and torn and was gearing up for more of a fight when he heard Buffy's voice from behind the van. _Damn - she was fast!_

"Steve! She's back here! We got her!"

Steve rounded the back of the van, where Buffy was tossing one of the back doors to the ground. "Guess I pulled a little too hard," she said with a grin.

Steve didn't see Jaime at first. Then a burlap sack in one corner moved slightly, and he saw the shock of blonde hair sticking out of the top. As quickly as possible, he tore open the bag to take his wife in his arms. He took off her blindfold and was relieved to see she was conscious and alert (but also sorry that she'd been awake and thus had been enduring even more trouble). Very gently, he removed the tape from her mouth as Buffy, beside them now, broke Jaime's handcuffs off of her wrists.

"Sweetheart, are you alright? Did he hurt you?" Steve asked, pulling her closer as he felt how shaky she was and how desperately she clung to him.

"I think I'm ok," Jaime answered in a small, weak voice. "I fell asleep back in the cell, and woke up here...missed all the in-between."

"Medivac's coming," Buffy told them, "and I'm supposed to tell you that Rudy's on board."

Steve looked up at Buffy. "Thank you - for all your help. I really underestimated you, and I'm sorry."

"Common mistake; I'm sorta used to it."

Steve carried his wife from the van and set her down in a small patch of grass beside the guard shack. Buffy followed, staring at the tiny pieces of what used to be a boulder.

"Steve...that rock...how did you -?"

"Buffy, can I ask one more favor from you?"

"Yeah?"

"Poke your head in the guard house there and make sure my new friends are still nice and comfy on the floor."

"Gotcha." She returned a few moments later, smiling. "I told them if anyone moved and you had to go back in there, you'd be cracking skulls. They believed me, too. Oh, and - way to dodge my question. Again."

"Only temporarily," Steve assured Buffy while he tenderly rubbed his wife's back. "Once you're fully and officially hired, I promise -"

"**If** that ever happens."

"Why wouldn't it?" Steve asked. "You did a great job. Hell, I'll vouch for you."

"Thanks. But I'm pretty sure Mister Goldman is gonna be angry."

Jaime raised her head from Steve's shoulder. "_Mister Goldman_?"

"What'd you do?" Steve asked.

"When I called him from your house, he told me to go back to his office, and not to come here. I...sorta didn't listen."

Steve laughed. "Then it's official; you are definitely one of us! Buffy, Oscar's biggest concern - after our safety, of course - is _results_. Sometimes Jaime & I have been known to take very...uh..._unusual_ paths to achieve those results. Oscar will usually sound off pretty fiercely - right before he congratulates you for a job well done."

Jaime looked up again and smiled weakly. "Keep calling him _Mister Goldman_ and you'll probably get a promotion."

------


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Oscar looked solemnly at the three people sitting across from him: two operatives who were like family to him and one very nervous potential operative, all of them deserving a lot more than he was about to give them. "So," he began sternly, "where do I start? Jaime, it's great to see you up and around again. I hope you used those six days in the hospital to reflect on how much worse it could've been."

"I -" Jaime began.

Oscar stopped her. "I'm not done yet. I am nowhere near done. If you are issued a piece of equipment - I don't care if it's a bullet-proof vest or a damned suit of armor - you are expected to **_wear it_**. You could easily have been killed, and your husband would've had to live the rest of his life feeling guilty for firing that shot. _Unnecessary_ guilt, I might add, since it would've been your own action - or _lack_ of action - that would've been the true cause."

Jaime lowered her head, speechless, and grateful for Steve's empathetic squeeze of her hand. She squeezed back (her eyes never leaving Oscar's), correctly sensing that her husband's turn was next.

Oscar did have more to say. "As for you, Colonel Austin, you've worked for me long enough to be familiar with our procedures, have you not?" He gave Steve no chance to answer the rhetorical question. "The _minute_ you were out of that cell, and you saw an entire evac team down, **_what_** would the appropriate procedure have been?" Once again, Oscar kept going; he was on a definite roll. "Since you've obviously forgotten, I'll tell you. You would _call in to let me know_, so I could send additional teams to help get your butts out of there safely! Granted, in this case that wouldn't have helped much, since you got things wrapped up fairly quickly - congratulations for that, by the way - but even so, _procedures are procedures, and I expect you -** all of you **_- to follow them.

"Which brings me to my next point. The OSI has a Director - who happens to be me, if you've forgotten - for a reason. **_I am in charge here_**! **I** call the shots! I don't just talk for the sake of hearing my own voice. You might remember that in the future! You were working with a brand-new operative; you might both have tried to set a little better example. And Buffy,"

"I'm sorry, Mister Goldman," she said quickly, in a very meek voice.

"Not necessary," Oscar assured her. "You made a mistake, as I've just made clear, but you also showed a lot of initiative and courage, both extremely admirable traits, and you were a huge part of what made this assignment ultimately successful.

"I do, however, have a few things I need to say to you. First, in terms of knowledge, ability and determination, these two people sitting next to you are the best in the business. They can teach you virtually anything you need to know. **However**, in terms of insubordination, _do not _follow their example. Please.

"Second thing is, while 'Mister Goldman' is flattering, and quite a pleasant change from the respect I normally get around here," Oscar raised an eyebrow at Jaime and Steve, "it also makes me feel about 102 years old. 'Oscar' is just fine," he said, smiling at Buffy. "I know I've been called a lot of other things when I'm not listening, and sometimes even to my face."

"Who would do that?" Jaime asked innocently.

"Us?" Steve added.

"Not us!" Jaime chimed in once more.

"Third, and most definitely not least, I want to apologize to you, Buffy. You didn't have a very pleasant introduction to government service. We normally like to give our new operatives at least _some _training before we throw them into a blazing inferno. You performed admirably under extremely adverse conditions. If the last two days haven't completely scared you off, and if you're still interested, I'd like to welcome you to the OSI, as a full-fledged Security Six operative. Swords and car fenders optional."

"I am!" Buffy enthused. "Thank you so much, Mister...I mean, Oscar."

"If I were you," Steve joked, "I'd hold out for some serious salary negotiations first."

"Don't help," Oscar said, smiling all the same.

"Security Six?" Jaime asked.

"That's right," Oscar confirmed. "I know that means there are a few things you'll be wanting to fill her in on, and you've all got some major catching up to do."

"She's had a few questions we weren't able to answer," Jaime agreed.

"_However_...I do have one more, very firm, non-negotiable directive - for all three of you." Steve and Jaime groaned, and Oscar grinned. "I am taking you all to lunch."

------


	11. Epilogue

Epilogue

Buffy listened quietly, with rapt attention, to the full stories of Steve and Jaime's accidents, their subsequent transformations and their current, somewhat Slayer-like abilities.

"Wow," she said breathlessly, when Jaime was done. "Makes me sorry for what I was starting to think."

"What was that?"

"Well...I kinda thought you might be a rogue Slayer," Buffy said sheepishly.

"And me?" Steve wanted to know.

"I thought you were a vampire."

Steve sucked in his lower lip, jutted his top teeth out as far as he could, grabbed the afghan from the sofa to use as a cape, and proceeded to chase the two woman all aound the living room.

"I - am - Count Steve-ula!" he boomed.

Buffy nudged Jaime and leaned over to whisper, laughing, in her ear. "He's got a lot to learn."

END


End file.
